Next story in WikiLeaks in Security

LONDON — U.S. officials have issued a subpoena to demand details about WikiLeaks' Twitter account, the group announced Saturday, adding that it suspected other American Internet companies were also being ordered to hand over information about its activities.

In a statement, WikiLeaks said U.S. investigators had gone to the San Francisco-based Twitter Inc. to demand the private messages, contact information and other personal details of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and other supporters, including the U.S. Army intelligence analyst suspected of handing classified information to the site and a high-profile Icelandic parliamentarian.

WikiLeaks blasted the court order, saying it amounted to harassment.

"If the Iranian government was to attempt to coercively obtain this information from journalists and activists of foreign nations, human rights groups around the world would speak out," Assange said in the statement. He promised to fight the order.

Others named in the order include Pfc. Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army private suspected of being the source of some of WikiLeaks' material, and Birgitta Jonsdottir, an Icelandic lawmaker and one-time WikiLeaks collaborator known for her role in pioneering Iceland's media initiative — which aims to make the North Atlantic island nation a haven for free speech.

Gonggrijp expressed annoyance that court officials had misspelled his last name — and praised Twitter for notifying him and others that the U.S. had subpoenaed his details.

"It appears that Twitter, as a matter of policy, does the right thing in wanting to inform their users when one of these comes in," Gonggrijp said. "Heaven knows how many places have received similar subpoenas and just quietly submitted all they had on me."

WikiLeaks urges others to unseal subpoenasWikiLeaks also voiced its suspicion that other organizations, such as Facebook Inc. and Google Inc., had also been served with court orders, and urged them to "unseal any subpoenas they have received."

Google and Facebook's London offices did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

U.S. officials have been deeply angry with WikiLeaks for months, for first releasing tens of thousands of U.S. classified military documents on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, then more recently posting thousands of classified U.S. diplomatic cables.

U.S. officials say posting the military documents put informers' lives at risk, and posting diplomatic cables made other countries reluctant to deal with American officials.

Reliance on U.S. firms
Although its relations with the U.S. government have been ugly, WikiLeaks and its tech-savvy staff rely have relied heavily on American Internet and finance companies to raise funds, disseminate material and get their message out.

Video: GOP's top watchdog goes on the attack

Closed captioning of: GOP's top watchdog goes on the attack

>>>there are other changes here in washington, like the new chairman of the
house committee on oversight and government reform
. it's also called the
watch dog
committee. california republican darrell isa is coming across like, well, an angry
watch dog
. our report from nbc's
andrea mitchell
.

>> reporter: he's a new cop on the beat. the republican's top
watch dog
, potentially the obama administration's worst nightmare. even before the election, he put
president obama
on notice, telling
rush limbaugh
--

>>he's been one of the most corrupt presidents in
modern times
.

>> reporter: today, a very different tone.

>>i've got a president who inherently wants to get along with me so we can agree on things.

>> reporter: but he's laid out an ambitious agenda, investigating wikileaks,
fannie mae
, and the bank bailout. as many as 280 hearings in the first year. and he's already sent more that be 150 letters to industry lobbyists, asking which regulations they would like killed?

>>they must be extremely happy to have in the chairman of the committee someone who basically says, come on down, show me what you don't like.

>> reporter: issa
's spokesman says that's no different than
president obama
holding a summit with industry leaders, or considering a chief of staff with ties to business. but
issa
also plans to ask officials like tom donilon to testify, reminding veterans of the clinton years of
dan burton
when he had
issa
's job.

>>i know, but what i can't understand is why you can't give us an answer.

>>it doesn't matter where the question is political, ridiculous, if there's a subpoena attached to it, you're required by law to produce the documents it asks for.

>> reporter: the democrats have had the gavel. now the tables are turned.

>>the biggest pitfall would be if these investigations are perceived as being
witch hunts
and political in nature as opposed to focused on substance and policy.

The Department of Veterans Affairs' promise to end by 2015 its massive, benefits backlog for disabled veterans has "stalled," according to an analysis released Monday by a leading veterans' organization.